Friday, June 09, 2006

Frequently asked questions about Homeopathy

1) Is it safe to take Homeopathic medicines during Pregnancy?
Yes. It is safe to take homeopathic medicines from a qualified homeopathic doctor .If the treatment is planned in a proper way it will have lot of benefit to the mother and the child. The child will be much healthier and the medicines will help to fight the hereditary diseases which are carried from generation to generation. In fact if homeopathy is given during pregnancy the delivery is normal and easier. The child is relatively healthier and balanced emotionally, intellectually and physically.

2) Does one have to take the Homeopathic medicines for a long time?

No. The duration of the treatment depends upon the nature of the disease and the fighting capacity of the body. The treatment is continued for certain time period so as to improve the resistance of the body to fight diseases. So taking into consideration all these factors the treatment is continued for a certain time frame for the benefit of the patient. Once he starts improving we stop the medicines and the natural immunity of the body will take care of the rest of the problem.

3) Does Homeopathy take long time to act?
It is a myth that homeopathic medicines act slowly. It acts is a rapid way and the effect lasts much longer, often forever as here the disease is cured from its roots. On the plus side is absence of any toxicity and after effects. For e.g. if “X” is suffering from bronchial asthma and he is suffering for the last 14 years and has been to various systems of medicine. Now if you give homeopathy and say in 2 years time he is completely alright –Please tell us which one is slow?

4) Do homeopathic medicines have steroids?

No. It is a misconception that has been developing in the recent times. Due to the misconception that homeopathy takes long time to act; after seeing the improvement at a fast rate people think that homeopaths give steroids.

All Homoeopathic medicines are prepared by using scientific predefined methods of extracting the medicinal properties from source substances. There is no scope or need to adulterate the derived medicines with any other substances, as this would completely obliterate the curative properties of the same.

The prescription of homoeopathic medicines is based on the similarity of the symptoms of the patient with those produced by the drug (in its purest form) when proved (clinical trials) in healthy individuals. So any addition to the original medicine would completely alter its medicinal properties and hence render it non-curative. If the patient has doubts he should be advised to check the medicines from a standard laboratory.

5) Why do homeopaths do not tell the name of the medicines that have been given?

The name of the medicines is not disclosed for the benefit of the patient. If the patient after knowing the name of the medicine starts taking it according to his or her whims and fancies; it will distort the original unmodified disease picture and in the future treating the patient will be much more difficult.

The other fact is that certain medicines have to be changed and given as per the state of the disease and recovery which is very essential. At the end of the treatment if the patient wants the line of treatment that had been given it can be provided to him but at the end of the treatment.

6) Does homeopathy believe in disease diagnosis and pathological investigations?
Yes it is very essential to diagnose a disease as for the selection of the remedy we require to know the characteristics symptoms and not the disease symptoms. For e.g. If a person is having an attack of asthma he will be having wheezing and congestion of the chest and he gets relief only if he throws his head backwards. The symptom “throwing head backward relieves” is very peculiar which will help us in getting the right remedy. A good knowledge of disease is important. The pathological investigations are also important to know the prognosis and disease diagnosis.

7) Are there any food restrictions during the treatment?

Yes one has to avoid coffee, raw onion and raw garlic. One should also avoid eating mint, camphor and menthol as these can hinder the action of the homeopathic medicine or antidote the effect of the medicine.

8) Does one have to stop other medicines which the patient has been taking?
No. The patient should not stop the medicines which he has been taking. It should be tapered after the patient is improving this should be done in consultation with the other treating physician.

In some cases the other medicine cannot be discontinued in such instances both the medicines have to be continued for the benefit of the patient. The treatment should be planned and properly implemented.

9) Do homeopathic medicines bring about aggravation initially?
In some cases there is an initial aggravation of the symptoms but it is a good sign that the medicine is right and has started acting. But this happens in a few cases not all patients will have an aggravation.

10) Is Homoeopathy a proved science?

It definitely is. Homoeopathy is a science based on sound logic and vast experimental data. Homoeopathy is the only medicinal science where data has been collected by proving on human beings. The principles of Homoeopathy have been derived and authenticated by vast clinical experiments and data. The homoeopathic medicines are prepared in a standardized manner. The homoeopathic pharmacopoeia lists more than 3500 remedies, whose clinical efficiency has been proved in various clinical trials conducted all over the world. Various institutions and individuals are proving new medicines and increasing the scope of homoeopathic medicines.

11) Are Homoeopaths qualified doctors?

Yes. There are more than 180 homoeopathic medical colleges in India and about 2000 colleges all over the world recognized by the Government and the University. The degree course is an extensive study of the human body and homoeopathic pharmacy, lasting for four and half years followed by internship for 1year, which includes hospital training and patient management. After this the students are given the degree making them qualified doctors. There are now also postgraduate courses available in homoeopathy. One has to register with the Homoeopathic Medical Council to practice homoeopathy legally, and has to renew the registration every five years (India).

12) Is it true that Homoeopathic medicines are only placebos (sugar pills)?

No. The pills of homoeopathic medicines are made from sugar but they work only as vehicles. Actual liquid medicine prepared with alcohol base is then poured over them and allowed to dry. These pills are then dispensed as medications.

Homoeopathic medicines are also available in liquid form or tinctures, which can be ingested directly or by diluting them in water.

13) Does the Homoeopath give the same white pills for all illnesses/patients?

Certainly not. Although it appears that same white pills are given for all illnesses or patients it is not so, as there are more than 3500 remedies to prescribe from and new medicines are added to the list regularly, after their proving and clinical trials. All homoeopathic medicines are available as liquids with an alcohol base. In order to dispense a medicine to a patient, the indicated remedy in the liquid form is poured on the white sugar pills, which merely act as vehicles to transfer the medicinal property. Hence it appears that the same white pills are administered to all.

Homeopathy has no bar for age and sex; it is equally effective for every human being in every stage of their life from birth till death.

15) Does Homoeopathy work in acute cases?

Yes. Homoeopathy has wonderful remedies that give prompt relief in acute cases like fever, cough, cold, diarrhea, headaches etc. when the person opts for homoeopathy at the onset of the ailment.

16) Does Homoeopathy believe in Surgery?

Yes, it does. Surgery is a separate branch of science. It has to be resorted to in conditions that are beyond the domain of medicine. But one can avoid surgery as homoeopathy can effectively treat many so called surgical conditions like, tonsillitis, piles, warts, kidney stones etc.

17) Should one take homoeopathic medicines only from a qualified doctor?

Yes he should. There have been instances of miracle cures by lay people practicing homoeopathy, but it is always advisable to go to a homoeopathic physician, as he is qualified to judge the severity and depth of your illness and thereby prevent undue complications later on, which could be overlooked by a hobby practitioner due to his ignorance of medical knowledge. Only a qualified physician can guide you towards a complete (mental, emotional, spiritual, physical and pathological) recovery.

18) Is cure possible with Homoeopathic medicines?

Homoeopathy is curative. It treats the cause (internal malady or the imbalanced energy) and not the expression (diagnostic symptoms specific to the disease) of the disease. The symptoms are only used as an indication to select the right remedy for the individual. It treats the person as a whole and not his individual body parts. Homoeopathy takes into account the expressions of an illness characteristic to the individual and a curative remedy chosen on this basis gives a gentle and permanent cure.

19) In which disease condition homeopathic treatment is more effective?

There is no condition that Homeopathy cannot treat. Conditions from a simple cold to cancer can be treated with Homeopathy. It takes into account the individual symptoms of the patient suffering from any disease and not the diagnosis of the disease. By the virtue of this certain diseases that cannot be diagnosed clinically or even unknown diseases can also be treated. Also in incurable cases where even the modern line of treatment fails to help the patient, homeopathy will prove to be a very good palliative and will improve the last days of life and ease the death.

20) Why detailed history?

Detailed history is very essential as homeopathy believes in treating the individual and not the disease. So the physician needs to know the individual and not about his disease. Also the chronic diseases are due to suppression of skin affections or emotions; hence detailed history will reveal whether any past ailments suppressed has lead to the present complaints.
Every incidence affects our life, so it is very important to know all the incidences and its impact it had on the patients. Hence a detailed history right from the childhood till date is needed to find the right medicine which suits the patient. If you co-operate and give honest and detailed history we can help you to achieve better and healthy life.

The above information is provided by Dr.Santosh Joshi Who practices Classical Homeopathy in Mumbai.India.

2 comments:

Dear Doctor, it was very useful for me to read these data, thank you! I have heard good thigns about homeopathy, and I know a lady for example who used to take care of many children and when any of them had body problems, she would prefer homeopathy to modern medicines and treatments. Now I understand it much better why, and I also believe that the cause of illness should be handled and not only the symptomes.

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About Me

Dr.Santosh Joshi is a Classical Homeopath and practices Classical
Homeopathy in the city of Mumbai and via his various websites provides
consultation to patients from all over the world.(www.drjoshis.com,www.happylivin.com,www.homeopathywomen.com,www.homeopathyallergies.com) Dr.Joshi is working in
the field of Autism spectrum disorder for the past 13 years and is a
ardent promoter of early intervention,role of Homeopathy,Diet and
therapy in treating Autism.

Dr.Joshi looks into cases of autism ranging from mild-moderate-severe
, with the in-depth analysis and evaluation of every case we have been
able to achieve good results in treating autism.We also are a strong
advocate of the necessity of Dietary intervention and therapies which
are an essential part of the line of treatment.

We at Center for Autism follow a standard protocol for treating our
patients, we also take help of state of art Homeopathic software in
evaluating the autism case histories for the right Homeopathic medicine
which plays a crucial role in treating autism.Homeopathic medicines are
very effective in increasing the eye contact,social behavior,reducing
hyperactivity,addressing the sensory issues and in certain cases the
violent behavior due to obsessive compulsive disorder are handled with
care.

Our Center is focusing and studying various ways in which we can
effectively handle the growing cases of Autism , and also advice gluten
free casein free diet which is helpful.

Glimpses of Experience & Expertise:

12 years of Clinical experience in treating complex diseases with
Homeopathy at his Happy Livin Centre and via online consultation

Ex Director in a wellness company in the field of Homeopathy, Diet
& Nutrition, Yoga & Naturopathy, Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani
medicine. He was also heading the Education in Homeopathy department.

Honorary Speaker at First CME held at Chokshi Auditorium in Tata Memorial Hospital on Application of Tele Medicine in Homeopathy

Honorary Speaker at Birla Matoshree Auditorium on Role of Computers in Homeopathy

Honorary Speaker at AICAR Business School on Role of Tele Medicine in Rural setup, to policy makers and budding entrepreneurs

Won a prize for his paper presentation on Successful management of a
case of Grade 4 Astrocytoma and its Homeopathic management at a all
India Level Homeopathic Case Presentation organized by BEACON foundation

Honorary Speaker at a Convocation Ceremony of Cosmetology at Trinity Academy where he spoke on - His Road to Entrepreneurship

His article on Role of Homeopathy in Autism has been published in
Homeopathy International - The Homeopathic Medical Association U.K.

His article on Don't Stress me - On Examination stress has been published in Hindustan times

Education:

Bachelor of Homoeopathic medicines and surgery (B.H.M.S) from University of Pune in the year 1999.

Training in the Institute of clinical research (ICR) Pune.

Knowledge and Professional Experience:

Dealing with Acute and Chronic cases and its management with Homoeopathic medicines.

Working in the field of treating woman's diseases with
special interest in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), Fibroadenoma of
the breast, uterine fibroids. He has worked in the Gynecology and
Obstetrics department at Cantonment hospital Pune

Dealing with respiratory tract diseases with special
interest in Allergies, Bronchial Asthma as well in acute and chronic
bronchitis in children and adults and its management

Running a successful online homeopathic consultancy services since the last 10 years

Treating Diabetes and it complications. He was
associated with the dialysis unit at the Lions tarachand hospital where
he developed the interest of treating Diabetic nephropathy and other
complications of diabetes like non healing ulcers and neuropathy

He had the opportunity to work with senior
dermatologists at the cantonment hospital in pune where he saw many
patients and developed the interest in treating atopic dermatitis, Acne
vulgaris as well as roseacea, Herpes zoster and herpes simplex, Hair
loss and other skin ailments through homeopathy. He has been
successfully treating skin ailments since then

Treating patients suffering from depression and other mental disorders

Treating children who suffer from behavioral disorders and autistic complex disorder

Worked with a senior pediatrician in neonatology and pediatrics at Bhide Hospital

Worked in Lions Tarachand Bappa hospital as a resident
medical officer. Dealt with the various aspects in General surgery,
Gynecology, Neonatology, renal diseases and dialysis

Worked with a Cosmetic surgeon Dr. Sunil Keswani learned the various aspects of burns case management

Worked in the organizing committee in 2 major
International Homoeopathic Conferences in Mumbai Simillimum 2000 and
2001 held at Shanmukhanand Hall Mumbai

Organized 2 seminars during college years and visited rural medical camps and treated patients

Worked in the Organizing Committee of Simillimum 2003 conference at Birla Matushri in Mumbai

Was invited for the W.H.O sponsored seminar on Management of Geriatric diseases and its Homeopathic management